Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1887-03-27
MICKEY'S AMBITION.
HIS YRARNING DESIRE TO SHIN THE BIG
MILL CHIMNEY.
Not al Adept at Climbing the Tree of knowledge
But Great On Chesnus-Cut Out by the
DOOlan Boy to the Alarm Of
Mrs. DOOlan.
NeIg York San.

An ambitious vine, watered by dripplngs
from the mill roof, had climbed slowly
over the caves and embraced to big CHM
ney, which lowered seventy feet in the air.
The tender feelers of the vine were shrivel-
ed by contact with the bricks heated by
the fiery heat of the furnace. Disappoint-
ed in its aim to reach the chimney top,
the vine turned aside and crept over the
shingles to the roof top, and down the
other side, whence it hung in long fes-
tOons, dipping its slender fngersin the mill
race.
The vine was the only living thing
which had tried TO climb the chimney
since its creation, and many a funeral cor
tege had crossed the shadow of the chimney
since that time. The chimney stood
where it does DOW when Mike Finn came
to Cooney Island, and unless an earth
quake topples it over blue smoke will
pour from its mouth by day and red sparks
by night until Mike has gone out of sight
of the chimney forever.
1t had been the desire Of Mickey Finn
for a long time TO climb to the top of the
chimney. He had two motives in trying
to accomplish this dangerous feat. The
first was the desire to excite the envy and
admiration of his comrades and the second
that he might stand, if only for a moment,
on the highest spot on COOney Island and
look over the goOdly landscape. 1t occurred
to him that he might climb up the inside,
chimney-sweep fashion, but when he had
worked his way up twenty feet one day
when the mill was idle he slipped and fell
to the bottom, narrowly escaping a broken
neck. Still he cherished the project in his
heart as he passed the mill each day on his
way to school.
Mickey had made more progress in
climbing chestnut trees than he had In
ascending the tree of knowledge. The
schoolmaster was dissatisfied with his pro-
gress. Although gifted with a naturally
bright mind, it was hard to make the boy
understand why he should learn the lOca-
ton of KamtChatka, and he seemed in
different ~ to whether the product OF
Turks Island was salt or maple sugar. To
his discredit it must be told that he spent
a LARGE portion of his time while at school
drawing tall chimneys and painting
the bricks in vivid green and blue tlnts.
These mimic structures vOmited clouds OF
chrome yellow smoke, which, contrasting
with the bright tints of the bricks, pro-
duced a most striking and bizarre effect.
However, if Mickey was Il dullard IN
geography and economical statistics, he
was an adept i'll physics. He could get
the grapevine twist on an opponent IN Il
wrestle, and he was very skillful at knock
inv ont marbles. Indeed, so successful
had he been of late that he had Just con-
cluded q bargain with Paddy Fee
han by which, i'll consideration OF
sixty marbles, n dOdO and two
badly Clipped glass agates, lie purchased
whatever right or title Paddy had in his
sister Mary. The bargain was clinched by
Mary when the transfer Of marbles was
made by the VOW that she would be faith
full to Mickey ''fOrevcr-'n-ever-amen."
The schoOlmaster saw that the best way
of Interesting Mickey was by a series OF
lessons which would have II local bearing,
and 80, when he called up the geography
class, he asked him to bound COOney
Island.
Bounded on tn sout' by Murray
street" said Mickey glibly; bounded on
tn west by Browns pond; bounded on
tn mort tn Guild Point road; bounded on
tn asst by-by-tesn't bounded ut all on
tn asst; it runs out to 4 pint"
"What do they grow on COOney lsland?"
"MOstly ~cabbidges and pOtatys, and II
few ingyuns, not many"
''What animals do they raise on tn
island?"
''Well, thare's cats. Mrs. MCGEE has
four. three little weeny vans that she's
goin' Z put in a bag mkt week wild a stone
an have EN- in tn pond. Mrs. Feeny's
big black Tom cat fit wild my dog Jack,
and licked him, but she can't lick me Billy
Goat. cause if he wanst got hold i'll her
he'd shake tn hair all off her back. Mebbe
thate's fifty cats on tn island, countin' tn
kittens. I'm goin' L have n good many o
thin in my show rs soon | t'ach tn billy
L stand on his head. It'll he only five
cints L come in, am
Never mind your show, sir. What
other animals are on the island?'
"MeuleS. Most iv thin, tho, is gone
up tn canal 'ceptin' Paddy Fcenan's
blind meule. He's no good, anyway, hut
fur chewin' hay an kickin' the boards
OF tn barn. Mebbe l kin git him in my
show"
'IfyOu say anything more about that
show O. yours I'll warm your Jacket, Go
on wild yer story about tn animals"
''Thare'S bosses, an Jimmy COoney's
mare as has tn HAYES. She blow fur
her wind like raky bellers. She,s no
good. Ye needn't count her. MuShrats
and mud turkeIs is plenty; but yc can't
catch many; they're shy. Ge wouldn't
care fur thin yersel', hut they'll all come
handy fur me whin | start my"
The schOolmaster stepped toward his
scholar with set lips and a ruler in his
hand. Mickey, however, anticipated him,
and jumping over two benches he reached
the door aud escaped. As he ven down
the road a peddler's horse passed by him on
a rum. 4 big watermelon rolled out of the
wagon and burst open on the ground.
Mickey picked up a large piece OF the
melon, and climbing up on the root Of the
mill seated himself in the shadow of the
big chimney and began to eat it. He was
soon Joined By his friend DoOlan. While
seated at the foot of the chimney the Old
longing to climb it came over the boy. As
he looked at the great brick shaft he saw
on the west side of it 4 series Of spikes
driven into the masonry at intervals OF
three feet, extending from the top to with
in fifteen feet of the bottom.
'Tn do it, " suddenly exclaimed Mickey.
''Do WHAT" asked DOOlan.
''Climb tn chimbly.'
"You couldn't get up. AAy couldn't
"D'ye see, there's spikes? Wen GIT a
long boOrd an lane it up agin tn chimbly
so / can r'ach tn first spike. It's 'asy
gittin' up tn rest o tn ways
Doolan saw, or thought he saw, how
easy it would be to reach the top, and he
suddenly conceived the idea that he would
like to do the climbing. Mickey, how
ever, did not wish to give up his cherished
design, but he at last consented with the
provision that he was to go up when Doc
Ian came down.
mind We now, DoOlan, always look up.
If We look down yen lose yer holt, y was
Mickey's parting injunction, as he held the